As far as I know, this is the first time that a chef-guided culinary tour has ever been offered in Shreveport-Bossier. The fact that the tour is being hosted by someone who is equal parts chef, scholar and food historian makes it a very appealing ticket for food lovers.

“I just want to show off some of the great restaurants that we have here,” Harris says. “Take El Cabo Verde, for example: They have the best margaritas and the best guacamole that I’ve had anywhere since I visited Mexico. El Cabo Verde is the kind of place that I want to help people discover and enjoy.”

Gabriel Balderas of El Cabo Verde discusses the tortilla-making process with diners after a dinner in 2016.

At each stop on the tour, participants will meet restaurant owners and chefs and “learn a little bit about the history of the restaurant,” Harris says. There are plans for some local food trivia games aboard the shuttle bus between stops. Similar tours in cities like Austin, Texas and Lafayette, Louisiana have been successful; Chef Harris worked with organizers of those tours while planning her own.

“We have so much in this city to show off,” Harris says. “We are Louisiana, after all, and Louisiana’s the food capital of the planet.”

318 Restaurant Week is presented by Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau in collaboration with The Times and Waitr.